Priest instantly knew where he was, “The place where the outcast dead rest, or at least there spirits, poor souls.”
Jennings was a Londoner but still was none the wiser. Priest crossed himself as he climbed out into the blood red light and explained to Jennings and his people. “This is the Cross Bones Graveyard. It was called something different way back when. They used to bury the plague victims here, along with dead whores. I think this was the resting place for over fifteen thousand souls.”
One of Jennings people, Jenny White a black girl from Newcastle and an ex corporal from the military police spat to one side, the rain running down her face from her close cropped black hair cut. “This don’t look like no graveyard to me, me respect going on here man.”
Priest nodded, “The church owned this land for centuries, hid the fact they allowed whores and plague victims to be buried here. Sold it off to the council but people found out, couldn’t build on the land. I think those ditches were dug by archaeologists who excavated some remains to examine those that died from the plague. Land still hasn’t been blessed damn them. Council use it for storage.”
Jennings pointed to the double Iron entrance gates, festooned with flowers and faded coloured ribbons, as he ordered his men to fan out, weapons at the ready, “And that?”
Priest looked, “Oh that’s the work of the locals. Every year they leave a memorial to the dead on the gates.”
Heartless had reached into a sheath hanging down his back and withdrew a wicked looking curved blade attachment. He fastened it into a slot running along the inside of his metal hand, “Good place for an ambush.”
Anvil pointed left and right and without being told what to do, Heartless went right up a slight muddy incline and around a twenty foot mound of rubbish. Slash moved left jumping a ditch, he slipped in the mud, cursing as he fell to one knee but recovered well and moved on towards an old council van lying on its side. Huntress started to climb the nearest hillock just off to her left and twenty feet ahead of her. She needn’t the high ground. A few bushes growing on the top would make for some form of cover.
Anvil was still looking around, something didn’t feel right. He looked at two old double Decker buses parked at an angle, nose to tail, on either side of the dirt track about a hundred feet ahead of them. Even at that distance he could see that the windows were blacked out. Who would black out the windows on old buses? A good place for an ambush!
“I think….”
Too late, the doors of each bus burst open and dozens of Shades and ghouls charged out. In the gap between the buses, the earth erupted upwards as hundreds more Shades charged up from a massive concealed pit. From the mound that Huntress was climbing, a giant armoured Shade lumbered into view, a massive rusty double bladed war axe held high about his helmeted head. Another armoured Shade appeared around the corner directly in Heartlesses path. A tail gate dropped down on a nearby council wagon, slightly behind and to there left. More Shades joined the ambush. Jennings men fanned out opening fire on the giant Shades. Bulls Eye drew both guns and started to blast those coming fro the buses. Huntress ran forward dived underneath the downward swing of the giants axe, somersaulted through its legs brought up her bow and fired two quick arrows up into its exposed groin. Slash and Patch moved out on either side of Anvil and Chris. Jennings people plastered the cumbersome giant Shade as it tried to turn round towards Huntress. Some of the special bullets were getting through as smoke was started to pour from a dozen wounds including the two Huntress had caused. Anvil ignored the advancing horde and threw his hammer. It sailed through the air like a lightning bolt, striking the giant full in the head, ripping it clear. The head exploding seconds before the body, starting to topple also turned to fiery red hot ash that sizzled in the downpour. The hammer sped back to Anvils hand.
Heartless was engaged with the giant Shade on the right, his curved blade slicing huge chunks of flesh and armour from its body. Jennings held his Glock in a two handed grip and fired four times into the narrow gap were its eyes showed. Blinded with smoke pouring from its face, the giant lost its footing and slowly toppled towards Heartless, who only just managed to dive out of the way in time as it hit the earth, spraying everyone with mud. Speed suddenly appeared on its back, his hands blurred into action slashing at its exposed neck, “For Hot Cross you bastard!” He screamed.
Smoke was rising from the creatures neck as steam rose from Speeds super fast body. Bang the Shade exploded, throwing Speed clear who slid down the muddy slope to land with a splash in one rain filled ditch.
Priest charged forward meeting the onslaught, crushing one normal sized Shade against the side of a wheel less truck, buckling the metal as the Shade exploded. Patch danced her dance of death, five Shades exploded in a line like fire crackers on the forth of July. Slash threw blades in whirling spinning arcs of shiny steel that ended up buried deep within a Shade or Ghouls chest. Heartless was brutal in his fighting. Three Ghouls charged down the hillock towards him. A punch from his steel fist decapitated the first Ghoul. His bladed hand sliced the second in two. The third he skewered and laughed in its face before ripping the blade up and free.
Patch was pure poetry in motion, dancing beautifully between the outstretched hands of dozens of Shades, her blade making precision cuts that exploded Shades before they even knew they’d been wounded.
Anvil picked out the giant Shades and threw his mighty weapon time after time, destroying them as they advanced. Rage was in amongst them, screaming incoherently he smashed them down with pure brute force. Nothing that came within reach of his arms lived.
Jennings and his men took care of any that tried to flank them, firearms filling the air with smoke and cordite.
Priest was now standing back with Chris waiting fro The Dark to show them selves.
Huntress shot several more Shades before shouting, “How did they know we where coming?”
Chris was deep in thought, even though this was an ambush, it was just too easy. Within ten short minutes all the Shades were destroyed and the blooded bodies of the ghouls lay everywhere. Jennings and his men were congratulating each other, whilst the Twelve regrouped. They too felt something was wrong.
Heartless flexed his steel claw, “Something’s not fu…”
A blood covered head sailed down through the air to land with a thud nearby. It rolled towards Anvil and stopped. It was just recognisable as Hot Cross.
The voice of Edge echoed from the sky, “Challenge, one on one!”
Anvil roared back, “Accepted!”
Chris was searching frantically for the source of Edges voice. Huntress was just staring down at Hot Cross in shock, her guard was down and a steel ball flew towards her body. Patch flashed through the air, turning a half somersault over Huntress’s left shoulder and in doing so flicked out a Hira Shuriken, trying to deflect the steel ball. But it happened so fast that she slightly misjudged. Huntress clamped a hand to her temple, with a cry of pain she spun to the ground apparently unconscious.
The door of an abandoned lorry over to there right burst open. Screech was sitting in the cab. “Surprise!” she screamed so violently, a solid wave of compressed air blasted Heartless from his feet. He flew back a good twenty feet or so, striking the ground hard.
Anvil roared, “Show yourself Edge, the challenge has been accepted.”
A sudden dust storm sprang up directly In front of Chris who pulled down the brim of his hat to protect his face and when it suddenly stopped, he looked up to see Coffee standing there directly in front of him, together with Retch and Claws.
“Hello Chris.”
Chris didn’t reply, his eyes caught a glimpse of something moving on the raised cab of a rusting cherry picker.
“Two O’clock eighty feet away on the cherry picker, Sling!”
Huntress had only been feigning unconsciousness; she snatched up her bow and in one fluid movement, launched an arrow that sailed in a perfect arc to impact Sling. With a faint yell of pain he fell back, toppling
off the picker platform. Patch leaped feet first towards Coffee who waved her hand as if swotting a fly. Patch flew violently back to land hard on the dusty ground. Two of Jennings men raised weapons against Coffee and before Chris could say no. Each burst into flames and fell to the ground screaming in agony. Jennings ran up to them but was beaten back by the intense fire, so he made a split second decision and shot both men in the head.
Coffee laughed, “Best tell your little friends to keep out of this. I don’t mind them playing with my Shades but I take offence when they dare attack The Dark.”
Chris ordered an enraged Jennings to take his men and retire as far back as possible. He started to refuse, but one look from Anvil and he decided against it.
Anvil searched the area, “Where’s Edge?”
Coffee ignored him, addressing Chris, “I’ve already won here don’t you see? I could have destroyed Heartless were he lies, but I show mercy and do you want to know why?”
A rusted double corrugated sheet that was half embedded in a ton of rubbish was suddenly flung sideways. The deformed Ridgeback stood there no more than ten feet from Heartlesses body.
From out of a rain filled ditch sprang the dwarf Pigswell. He belched fire and stood facing Bulls Eye.
Walking sensually along the path from the left was Willow. She stopped near to Priest who’d turned to face her. Willows sting arced up over her head.
Anvil shouted a command for all to hold there ground, a challenge had been given and accepted. Edge must meet him in combat. He watched as Huntress carefully, gently, retrieved Hot Crosses head and kidding his brow, cradled it in her arms.
Coffee smiled as she stood there watching Huntress, “A touching scene but dead is dead. Best bury that soon, it’s starting to rot.”
Screech started to laugh and her laughter could shatter glass. Priest took his eyes from Hot Cross and started to walk the vehicle that Screech was still sitting in. His feet slapping down hard in the water logged mud. She saw Priest and directed a scream at him. He just lent forward, digging his feet in and kept on walking. His leather jacket was slowly being torn to shreds. Reaching the cab, he reached down, gripped the foot step and heaved. The entire cab rose up, followed by the flat bed that contained a coil of rusting wire cable. Priest heaved again and the lorry fell over on its side. Screech stopped screaming and gave a tiny yelp as she fell with a thud back inside the cab.
“Can’t stand that woman!” Priest gasped as he drew breath, his jacket already starting to mend itself.
Coffee raised her hand and Chris raised his, he knew what to do without thinking. Two invisible bands of converging time waves hit each other equally and rebounded. Chris and Coffee found themselves the only people that could move or speak. Everyone else was frozen in place.
Chris smiled, “That’s better.”
Coffee looked angry, she obviously meant for her wave of attack to just freeze them all including Chris. Glancing around she begrudgingly acknowledged Chris.
“Well done Judgement.”
Chris smiled once again, “Just Chris will do.”
She looked startled, “Really?” she asked with a tilt of her head.
Chris didn’t respond, just unfroze time with a casual wave of his hand. He didn’t have any idea how he did it. It just happened as he wished.
Anvil moved to stand in front of Chris, he looked hard into Coffees eyes, “I asked where Edge is. He issued a challenge and I accepted.”
Coffee hissed and angrily flicked a hand towards Anvil. In a flash of movement, he raised his hammer to ward off whatever the blow was. He staggered slightly as his weapon echoed like it had just been struck with a heavy steel bar but he held his ground.
Coffee raised an eyebrow, “Impressive.” Closing her eyes, she slowly raised a finger towards the ground in front of Anvil.
The earth cracked open and before he could do anything, Anvil fell into the hole beneath. Coffee flicked her finger again and the crack started to close, crushing Anvil.
Chris clapped both hands together with a resounding thunderous boom. He stopped the earth closing over Anvil. Speed shot forward grabbed Anvil by the neck of his jacket, jerking him up from the hole. Releasing Anvil, Speed shot forward so fast even Chris didn’t see him move. He slashed past Coffee, four sharpened fingernails scoring her right cheek.
He reappeared nearly a hundred feet away, “Hot Cross was my friend you bitch!”
Coffee screamed in rage, a ball of white hot fire appeared before her, spinning in midair, “Speed!” she screamed. It was an order to the fire which roared off. Speed accelerated as it chased him round and round the yard. Finally Speed slowed, he was burning up. The ball of chain lightning struck and blasted him right over to the far side of the graveyard. Luckily there was a wide dip in the ground which was filled with a foot of rain water. Speed hit hard, bouncing several times across the surface like skimming a flat stone across a pond.
Anvil raised his hammer on high and brought it down with such force, the world moved! Thousands of ghostly human bones flew skywards. The force of the blow was directed outwards towards Coffee. The ground rippled upwards in a wave of flying debris. Whilst some of The Dark where blown backwards. Coffee staggered but unbelievably she kept her feet as both double decked buses shook violently as every window blew inwards. There was no sign of Edge inside the vehicles, but from the roof of the bus on the left, Edge lost his balance as he was bounced into the air. Stunned, he rolled off to fall to the ground.
Anvil pointed his weapon at Edge, “The right of challenge shall be obeyed!” Anvil bellowed, “Not even The Chosen One or Judgement can alter the challenge, once issued, both the Creator and the Destroyer shall enforce that law!”
Coffee looked slightly taken aback, even scared. Edge had made a mistake in calling for the Challenge. He hoped to simply put The Twelve off balance and susceptible to a surprise attack. In part he had achieved this but had forgotten that some laws are not meant to be broken and that this was one such law.
Edge groaned and came upright on unsteady feet. Turning he addressed Coffee, “Chosen One I did as you ordered why has this….”
“Be silent!” Coffee hissed.
Anvil rested the head of his weapon across his chest in the fold of his left arm, “So it was you who broke the law. Such deceit! Such arrogance! Did you think that you where above laws decided and agreed upon by our Lord and your Dark Master? Have you not learned anything?”
Coffee turned up her nose at him imperiously, “I am my own law, I am…..”
A sudden heavy darkness descended, enveloping her body. It writhed about her like serpents coils. She tried to cry out but no sound escaped her lips. The darkness tightened its grip upon her. Coffee screamed but no scream escaped her lips. It drove her to her knees and she cried, but no tears flowed from her eyes.
Finally, the darkness lifted as suddenly as it had descended. Coffee let out a gasp of intense relief and staggered to her feet.
“I…am in error.” She stuttered. Taking a deep breath to calm herself she added, “Challenge accepted.”
Edge backed away slightly, “So I am betrayed! No matter, you accepted my challenge father, so you must fight me.”
Anvil settled the head of his hammer upon the ground, crossing both hands over the hilt. “So it has come to this?”
Edge laughed, “It’s not as if you cared!”
Anvil wasn’t smiling, far from it, “Shaun you cannot be further from the truth. Knowing you and Chris are both my son’s, mean I shall love you both equally unto my dying day.”
Edge quick as a flash, drew both swords, “Don’t call me that!”
Chris moved to stand slightly apart from Anvil, “What? Your given name or that you are his son and my brother?”
Edge pointed the blade of one weapon at Chris, “Bastard half brother or not. You shall be next!”
Anvil picked up his weapon, “No son it ends today.”
“For you yes!” Edge lunged forward slashing towards Anvils
neck.
Just as quick, which surprised Edge, Anvil blocked the blade and sent a return blow to Edges side, who just managed to jump back before the impact. Twirling both blades, Edge circled slowly before lunging forward yet again. Twin arcs of steel cut through the air. Anvil deflected the first but the second gashed him across his left bicep.
Anvil said nothing, showed nothing but stepped backwards.
Edge grinned, “Felt that didn’t you!” But the smile faltered slightly at the sight of blood.
Judgement (The Twelve) Page 27